1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automatic performance apparatuses, and more particularly, to automatic performance apparatuses for storing data corresponding to the operation of a keyboard and the like, and carrying out automatic performance based on the stored data.
2. Prior Art
Due to recent technological improvements, tone generating devices employed in electronic musical instruments have become available which are capable of synthesizing a wide variety of musical tones. For example, physical model tone generating devices are conventionally known which synthesize tones which effectively simulate the sound of a conventional non-electronic musical instrument by simulating the sound production mechanism of the target non-electronic musical instrument. Such physical model tone generating devices are suitable for synthesizing the musical tone of rubbed stringed musical instruments or wind musical instruments because they have a high power of expression. Examples of the above-mentioned type of tone generation device have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,276.
An example of a conventional physical model tone generating device suitable for simulating the sound production mechanism of wind musical instrument is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 10. In this figure, a non-linear element 1 simulates the non-linear characteristics of a reed which is a sound producing element of the wind musical instrument, to which embouchure data PAR.sub.1 is supplied from a control circuit (not shown), and wherein the non-linear characteristics are controlled.
Delays 2 and 3 comprise, for example, multi-stage shift resisters, respectively, which simulate the transmission delay of an air pressure wave in the tube of the wind musical instrument, and wherein the delay time (or the delay length) of the delays 2 and 3, which basically signify the tube length of the wind musical instrument, is controlled by delay data D.sub.1 and D.sub.2 from the control circuit. An adder 4 simulates the pressure calculation carried out in the reed and to which blowing pressure data VOL is supplied from the control circuit.
A junction 5 simulates the scattering phenomenon in the generating of the air pressure wave in the position to which tubes having different diameters are connected. A 4-multiplier-type lattice is used for this junction 5. The 4-multiplier-type lattice comprises multipliers 6.sub.1 through 6.sub.4, respectively having multiplying coefficients K.sub.1 through K.sub.4 corresponding to the signal scattering characteristics in the wind musical instrument, an adder 7.sub.1 adding the output data from the multipliers 6.sub.1 and 6.sub.4, and an adder 7.sub.2 adding the output data from the multipliers 6.sub.2 and 6.sub.3. In the junction 5, the multiplying coefficients K.sub.1 through K.sub.4 of the multipliers 6.sub.1 through 6.sub.4 are controlled by the multiplying data PAR.sub.31 through PAR.sub.34 from the control circuit.
A multiplier 8 simulates radiating loss and the like in the case where the pressure wave is reflected at an end of the wind musical instrument, and the multiplying coefficient (end feedback coefficient) of the multiplier 8 is controlled by the multiplying data PAR.sub.2 from the control circuit. A filter 9 simulates the loss inside the tube and the shape of tube of the wind musical instrument, and the coefficient of the filter 9 is controlled by the coefficient data PAR4 from the control circuit.
With the conventional tone generating device described above, when the embouchure data PAR.sub.1 and the blowing pressure data VOL from the control circuit are supplied to each portion of the physical model tone generating device shown in FIG. 10, the delaying procedure, multiplying procedure or attenuating procedure and the like are imparted to the data from the nonlinear element 1 as it circulates in the closed loop circuit comprising the non-linear element 1, the delays 2 and 3, the adder 4, the junction 5, the multiplier 8 and the filter 9, namely, the loop comprising: delay 2.fwdarw.junction 5.fwdarw.delay 3.fwdarw.multiplier 8.fwdarw.filter 9.fwdarw.junction 5.fwdarw.adder 4.fwdarw.non-linear element 1, and thereby becomes data peculiar to the wind musical instrument. Then, for example, the output data from the delay 3 is delivered as a musical tone data.
In an electronic musical instrument having the above conventional physical model tone generating device, it may be imaged so that various data to be supplied to each part of the physical model tone generating device are automatically supplied from the control circuit and thereby automatic performance is carried out. In this case, each of all the parameters varying moment by moment may be pre-stored in an automatic performance data memory provided in the electronic musical instrument, then each of the parameters may be read out in due order from the automatic performance data memory according to the progress of the musical piece, and may be supplied to the physical model tone generating device.
However, in this case, there are the following problems:
(1) generation of each of the parameters to be stored in the automatic performance data memory;
(2) storage of the generated parameters in the automatic performance data memory; and
(3) editing of the parameters stored in the automatic performance data memory.
In the case of the physical model tone generating device, because the relation between each of the parameters and the generation of musical tone is complex, the relation is not easily intuitively understood. For example, in the above-mentioned physical model tone generating device simulating the sound production mechanism of the wind musical instrument, when the blowing pressure data VOL is changed, the tone volume, tone color and pitch, and the like are also changed.
Furthermore, since the physical model tone generating device works in the same manner as the non-electronic musical instrument, for example, in the case of an electronic musical instrument having the physical model tone generating device simulating the sound production mechanism of the wind musical instrument, each of the parameters such as a blowing pressure data VOL and an embouchure data PAR1 can be generated and supplied to the physical model tone generating device by actually performing the electronic musical instrument by an operator. Therefore, each of the parameters can be generated relatively easily, and the operator can make the electronic musical instrument carry out an automatic performance which is close to his specifications by storing the thus generated parameters in the memory. Examples of the above-mentioned technique have been disclosed, for example, in International Laid-open Publication No. W080/02886.
However, in this case, since the operator must nearly perfectly master the performance of the wind musical instrument, it is very difficult for a performer of a general keyboard-type electronic musical instrument to generate each of the parameters of the physical model tone generating device using the above-mentioned method. This problem also occurs in the case of generating each of the parameters of the physical model tone generating device simulating the sound production mechanism of the rubbed stringed musical instrument.
Moreover, even if, for example, a operator who masters the performance of the wind musical instrument can once store each of the parameters in the automatic performance data memory, in the case of editing each of the parameter, it is difficult for the operator to understand how to vary each of the parameters so as to be able to make the electronic musical instrument carry out the automatic performance according to his specifications. Accordingly, there is the problem that all of the parameters must be restored in the automatic performance data memory from the beginning to make the electronic musical instrument carry out the automatic performance according to the performer's specifications. The above-mentioned problem can be applied to FM (Frequency Modulation) tone generating devices or PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) tone generating devices and the like in similar ways, as well as to physical model tone generating devices.